Will we see the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in Heaven or just
Jesus? I heard a teacher explain that we will only see Jesus, and I thought
what a disappointment it would seem to be since I pray to my Father in
heaven so often -- I long to see Him face to face -- just like I do Jesus.

In heaven there will be the fulfillment of our worship of the Triune
God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Thus in regard to God as Father,
as to each other member the trinity, there will be fullness of prayer
and praise for which earthly prayers to God have been but preparation.

There seems to be some silence in the Bible regarding the state of those
who die now in Christ. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:8, "to be absent from
the body is to be present with the Lord". On the other hand, in 1 Thessalonians
4:16 Paul says, "the dead in Christ will rise first." Can you explain
this?

Two truths are affirmed in these biblical statements, both concerning
the status of those who die as believers.

First, death is a bodiless state in which we are present with the Lord.
That means in the spirit. Second, "the dead in Christ will rise first"
applies to the sequence of events at the return of Christ; namely, that
the resurrection of our bodies -- those who have died -- will immediately
precede the rapture of those who belong to Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
The union of glorified bodies and spirits will be forever!

Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it
was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." If our spirit
returns to God, then why does 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 say "the dead in
Christ shall rise first"? Are we in the grave until Christ returns or
do we go to heaven as soon as we die? Please explain.

At death, believers go directly in the spirit to heaven. The body, however,
will not be raised until the last day. When Christ returns, there will
be the union of the resurrected body and the glorified spirit. So shall
we be with Christ for ever.

Since I have committed adultery and fornication (even though I have
confessed and repented), does that mean I am still going to hell?

God's grace and salvation reaches out to truly repentant sinners: "If
we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Have you made
a genuine confession wherein you have turned totally from your past transgressions
and are walking a new path? If so, you have no need to fear hell.

When a Christian dies, do our spirits immediately go to heaven to
be with the Lord? OR are we asleep in the grave until Jesus returns?

The answer is the former. Since the human spirit is eternal, it goes
immediately at death into the presence of the Lord. So we do not sleep
in the grave. "Sleep" refers to the body. The body surely dies but will
be resurrected upon Christ's return.

What does someone who is a Christian and calls themself a "universalist"mean?

Universalism is the view that ultimately all people will obtain salvation.
In a popular vein, universalism is the outright denial of hell because
God is viewed too good to send anyone there. Hence, if there is a heaven
God will take in everyone. Universalism, however, fails to recognize that
God is also a God of righteous judgment who will provide a way of salvation
for those who believe in His son and continuing separation for those who
turn from Him and His ways. Heaven and hell are both realities.

What happens to those souls who are predestined for eternal damnation?

There is no teaching in the New Testament about eternal damnation as
predestined by God. God does not will anyone to eternal death. It is the
result of an unbelieving life. The word "predestined" is used only in
connection with salvation. For example, note the words in Romans 8:30:
"And whom He predestined, these He also called, and whom He called, these
He also justified, and whom He justified, these He also glorified."

The spirits of the dead in Christ are now in heaven and present with
the Lord. Their bodies are not raised until the Day of Resurrection. On
that day when Christ returns, their spirits will be joined with their
new resurrected bodies. So they will live with the Lord forever.

Will we know each other in heaven? I believe yes! But with a greater love
than our earthly ties. Knowing that I would see my Dad again was what
helped me through my grieving his death, also, knowing he was in the presence
of Jesus.

Rest assured that we will know one another in heaven. Indeed, this will
go beyond any earthly knowledge. According to Scripture, "Eye hath not
seen, nor ear heard, the things which God hath prepared for them that
love Him" (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Are there levels in Heaven? I have heard reference to this
but cannot find it anywhere now. Paul refers to being caught up to the
"third heaven." Is there any valid literature on the subject?

Paul speaks of "the third Heaven" in 2 Corinthians 12:2-"I
knew a man in Christ who fourteen years ago-whether in the body or apart
from the body I do not know, God knows-such a man was caught up to the
third heaven." "The first heaven" was an expression often
used in Paul's time for the clouds, the earth's atmosphere; "the
second heaven" for the stars, the physical universe beyond; "the
third heaven" would therefore refer to the transcendent spiritual
realm of God and His angels. For example, in His ascension, Christ "passed
through the heavens" (Hebrews 4:14) on "into heaven itself"
(Hebrews 9:24). Accordingly, there are no levels in heaven but levels
of heaven.

Please explain the resurrection of the body at the end of
time. From my study of the New Testament, it seems that we sleep from
death until the resurrection, not that our souls go to heaven immediately.

At death, believers leave the body to be with Christ. Paul speaks about
being "absent from the body at home with the Lord" (2 Corinthians
5:8). The natural body "sleeps" the sleep of death, but not
the spirit which at death goes immediately to heaven. Hebrews refers to
"the spirits of righteous men made perfect" in heaven (12:23).
When the Lord returns, we will receive a new spiritual body-"It is
sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body" (1 Corinthians
15:44)-to be joined with our redeemed spirits. United in spirit and in
body, we shall ever be with the Lord.

In heaven there will surely be recognition of other believers known on
earth. On the Mount of Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah were seen together
with Christ-"Behold, two men were talking with Him, and they were
Moses and Elijah" (Luke 9:30). Thus Moses and Elijah recognized each
other.

Hebrews 12:23 speaks of "the church of the firstborn who are enrolled
in heaven." The glorified church in heaven means, along with much
else, a common recognition.

Yes, heaven will be a fulfillment of all human relationships without
earthly limitations. Truly we will know one another fully and completely
and rejoice in the Lord's presence forever!

Do we go straight to heaven (as a born again Christian) or do we
go to heaven when Christ returns? There is a Scripture that says the dead
will meet Christ in the air first then those who are alive will go up.
I am confused as to the state of our spirit when we die.

Our spirit goes directly to heaven when we die. Jesus Himself at His
death said to the Father, "Into Thy hands I commit my spirit"
(Luke 23:46). Where the Scripture says that the dead in Christ shall rise
first (1 Thessalonians 4:16) the reference is to our bodies. They will
at this moment be joined to their spirits coming with Christ from heaven
(verse 13). This will immediately be followed by the rapture of living
believers ("We also who are alive and remain shall be caught up together
with them"-verse 17). (See Renewal
Theology, 3: page 407.)

How will Christians be judged at the final Judgment? Will
we be accountable for our sins? Haven't they been removed as far as the
east if from the west?

Paul declares that God has fixed a day on which He will judge the world
in righteousness through a Man (Jesus) whom He has appointed" (Acts
17:31). All people of all times-as well as fallen angels (2 Peter 2:4
and Jude 6)-will be present to give account. Paul writes to the Romans,
"We shall all stand before the judgment seat of God each one
of us shall give account of himself to God" (14:10, 12). Every sin
ever committed will be apparent to the eyes of the Judge, but in the case
of believers they will all be recognized as forgiven. For truly He has
removed all sins "as far as the east is from the west" (Psalm
103:12). The giving account will not be a reinitiation of our sins, but
a deeper realization of the vast number of them mercifully forgiven in
our salvation.

Why is the church referred to as the bride of Christ? Are
there any Scriptures to base this on? Revelation 20 and 21 talk about
the bride of Christ but to me it reads as if New Jerusalem is the bride.

On the church as the bride of Christ, see for example Ephesians 5:25-32,
2 Corinthians 11:2, and Revelation 19:7-9. "Bride" and "New
Jerusalem" are figures of speech to express both the beauty and the
magnificence of the church in the world to come (see Renewal
Theology, 3: pages 491-495).

In the Bible it says that Christians who do more work for the Lord
on earth shall have greater rewards in heaven. How could there be greater
rewards in heaven? Isn't being in heaven enough? What kinds of rewards
are there in heaven?

Heaven is truly the Christian's future. In that sense, it is "enough"-to
know life everlasting, joy and peace beyond measure, the direct vision
of the Lord; what more could one possibly want? But heaven is not a reward;
it is totally a matter of God's grace in Christ that we should go there
and share equally with all believers. However, there are rewards in heaven.
For example, Jesus declared about those persecuted for His sake on earth,
"Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven" (Matthew
5:12). Jesus speaks also of "a prophet's reward" (Matthew 10:41),
hence something special. "Love your enemies and your reward
will be great" (Luke 6:35). What these rewards are, Jesus does not
say, but they surely are promised. Heaven, indeed, will be glorious, but
we shall also rejoice in the many and varied rewards that our Lord will
deliver to His faithful ones. (For more on rewards, see Renewal Theology, 3: pages 454-457.)

I would like to know if Judas was sorry for betraying Jesus
and if that is why he killed himself? Also, if he was sorry was he forgiven
or was he sent to hell?.

According to Matthew 27:3, Judas "felt remorse" which is a
worldly sorrow. The fact that he went out and hanged himself shows that
there was no true repentance or godly sorrow. Paul writes, "The sorrow
that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret,
leading to salvation, but the sorrow of this world produces death."
Thus there could be no forgiveness, and Judas was doomed forever.

I have a question about John 5:28-29: "The dead in the graves
will hear the voice of God's Son, and they will rise again. Those who
have done good will rise to eternal life, and those who have continued
in evil will rise to judgment." I thought that when we die, our spirit
goes to heaven at that very moment. Please explain this verse.

At death the spirit of the true believer goes directly to be with the
Lord. The body will not be raised until the Day of Resurrection. It will
then be transformed from a natural body to a spiritual body. See 1 Corinthians
15:44.

When you go to heaven, will you remember those who are
sinners and went to hell? If you can, how could you ever be truly happy
knowing they are in hell?

In Renewal
Theology, 3: page 477, I wrote: "Hell with all its misery
will be less torment for still sinful persons than to have to live eternally
in the presence of a holy God and of those who are continually praising
His Name." Again, "the punishment of hell, whatever its measure,
will be far less than the punishment of being in the courts of heaven;
the fire of Gehenna far more tolerable than the brilliance of God's face;
the outer darkness of the nether world infinitely more bearable than the
splendor of heaven's glory." The saints in heaven would not be happy
at seeing sinners having to endure all this.

The focus of gospel proclamation throughout the centuries has been to
the "nations" or "Gentiles"-the ethne-primarily. When
they have all had an opportunity to hear and respond, the end will come.
But-and this is an additional highly significant fact-the end will not
occur without Israel's coming to salvation. Paul writes, "Lest you
[Gentiles] be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand this
mystery, brethren: a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the
full number [or fullness] of the Gentiles come in, and so all Israel will
be saved" (Romans 11:25-26). Paul had pointed in this direction earlier:
"Now if their [Israel's] trespass means riches for the world, and
if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their
full inclusion [or fullness] mean!" (Romans 11:12}. Thus the fullness
of the Gentiles-through proclamation of the gospel to the ethne, and the
growth of the kingdom (largely Gentile growth)-is not the last word! Indeed,
there will finally be such a fullness of Israel when their hardness and
blindness to the gospel is overcome as to vastly enrich the whole world.
For the almost unbelievable truth is that all Israel will be saved. The
fullness of Gentiles will climax with the fullness of Israel.

All of this belongs to the realm of "mystery." Moreover, it
shows that God is not done with Israel. Paul had earlier said, "God
has not rejected his people whom he foreknew" (Romans 11:2). Although
for a time Israel has been cut off, like branches, through unbelief, and
the Gentiles grafted in, God will "graft them in again (11:23). When
this happens, truly the end is at hand!

When the Lord returns, it will be to an Israel who is blessing His name-indeed,
along with Gentiles from all over the world.

The antichrist is one who deceives others by denying that Christ is God
come in the flesh. "For many deceivers have gone out into the world,
those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This
is the deceiver and the antichrist" (2 John 7, NASB). This is the
ultimate deception, namely, that the Incarnation did not occur; anyone
who denies this is "the deceiver," "the antichrist."
By such deception the ultimate in apostasy occurs: Jesus Christ, the Word
become flesh, is spurned.

I have quoted from John's second letter. In his first letter, John emphasizes
that it is "the last hour" because of the many antichrists that
have appeared: "As you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now
many antichrists have come; therefore we know that it is the last hour"
(2:18). Later he adds, "Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus
is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the
Son" (v. 22). Still later in this letter John speaks about "the
spirit of antichrist" (4:3) being now present in the world.

Incidentally, there are no other occurrences of the word antichrist in
the New Testament. I have mentioned all of them: 1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3;
2 John 7.

From these statements there is no suggestion that "antichrist"
or "the antichrist" is a particular person. Anyone who denies
the coming of Christ from the Father, that "the Word became flesh"
(John 1:14)-the central truth of Christian faith-is "the antichrist."
Thus, many antichrists have come, and many more will come. For "the
spirit of antichrist" is in the world-all the way to the end. What,
then, about "the last hour"? It is "the hour" of the
multiplication of antichrists (again see 1 John 2:18).

The antichrist, then, is not one who commits such sins as murder, adultery,
and theft-even to the maximal degree. Rather he is actually far worse
than any of this, for he deceives people about Jesus Christ. In this wicked
deception (which ultimately goes back to the Deceiver-Satan), he shuts
the door to eternal life. He is "anti"-opposed to-"Christ."
This is the ultimate evil, and his activity is the ultimate deception.
For there is no greater tragedy in the world than that of turning people
aside from Christ, the Son of God, who has wrought mankind's salvation.

(For a more extended discussion of the Antichrist, see my Renewal
Theology 3:330-34, including footnotes-especially 58.)

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